


Going Somewhere

by SilverLynxx



Series: Rush Prompt Fics [2]
Category: Rush (2013)
Genre: M/M, Misunderstandings, Niki Feels, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-20
Updated: 2014-03-20
Packaged: 2018-01-16 09:23:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1342054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverLynxx/pseuds/SilverLynxx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><b>Prompt:</b> Misunderstandings, a car that won't start, and ice-cream. In that order or not.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Going Somewhere

**Author's Note:**

> Prompted by **Ihniandern** on Tumblr

James knows something is wrong. He can read it in the tight grip Niki has on the wheel and the way he’s sucking his bottom lip in that particular way so that it hides his teeth. The way he does when he’s upset. But James isn’t quite in the right state to question him. The rocking of the car is making it difficult for him concentrate as he rubs his eyes and tries to shake the last vestiges of his hangover.

But there is a definite tension, and James suspects it isn’t solely to do with him calling Niki to pick him up from some isolated cottage in the country when he’d started out in a pub in London the night before.

“Niki,”  
  
“ _Nein_ , do not talk. I don’t want to hear it.”

James frowns and leans back, resting his head against the window that’s cool against his skin and watches the fields and trees whiz by. There’s suffocating tension in the car and it’s making James restless.

“Did I leave the oven on?” James queries with a charming smile, glancing at Niki who keeps looking straight ahead; only the slight tick in Niki’s jaw tells James he was heard. He’s thinking of something equally charming to say when the mini suddenly clatters in an unhealthy way, and Niki swears quietly in German.  

The car drives faultlessly for a few anxious minutes, and Niki is reassured that it should at least get them back home. But then it gives a spurt and a worrying jolt, and Niki’s heart sinks when he feels the car give a final tremendous shudder before the power goes completely.

“ _Verdammte hölle_ ,” the Austrian hisses, smacking the steering wheel with his hand before he jerks it to the left, pulling over onto the side of the road before the car loses all momentum and they have to push. They sit in silence, Niki glaring furiously at the dashboard while James flicks his lighter and agitatedly bounces his foot.  

Stubbornly Niki turns the key and attempts to rev the engine, but all it does it putter uselessly the way cars do when they aren’t going to move without assistance. With a sound of annoyance Niki gets out the car, and James winces at the force with which the door slams shut.

He quickly joins Niki who is looking under the bonnet

“It’s _tot_ , fucked,” is all that is said as Niki sharply closes the hood. “There is a town not far, we’ll walk,” and he sets off without a word, all without and a single look at James.

 

\---------------

 

“Look, Niki, whatever it was I’m sorry. Did I leave bottles around? Not clean the sheets? Is it what I said about Regazzoni? It’s not just because you had to pick me up, surely?” James runs his hand through his hair in frustration, yet still Niki is silent, stalking ahead and forcing James to jog to keep up. “Tell me what I did wrong, Niki! How am I supposed to know when you won’t _tell_ me?” James snaps, finally losing patience.

“How can you not know, James!?” Niki spins to face him, arm thown out angrily, his accent thick in his rage. “I can handle you drinking yourself in to a stupor. I can even put up with you disappearing overnight without a word. But I draw the line at having to _collect_ you from your women on the side!” Niki’s voice cracks at the end and he hates himself for it. Yanking his cap down further he storms down the road, heading for the village he can see not far away.

“Niki! Niki wait!” James is pulling on his arm, but when Niki doesn’t turn, intent on ignoring him, James takes to walking backwards to make Niki at least face him. “What do you mean my women on the side?”  
  
Niki snorts in disgust, glaring at the blond who has to speed up his backwards walk to stop Niki barging past him. “Do you take me for an idiot, James? You saw how that girl answered the door. Wearing nothing but _your_ shirt. It is bad enough you make me first fetch your shitty car, but then you expect me to drive twenty-six miles to pick you up from your latest fuck!” His head hurts and his eyes sting, and his emotional state only makes him more frustrated.

He had been inundated with warnings that James wouldn’t change, and he had said he accepted that, but the realisation still hurt.

“No, Niki no,” James grabs Niki’s upper arms and holds him still, forcing the smaller man to stop. He sounds distraught. “I didn’t, I _haven’t_ , not since we got together.”

“You really expect me to believe Hunt the Shunt has stayed on the straight and narrow?” Niki snipes derisively, and James shakes him slightly with a frustrated “ _Yes!_ ”

“I swear to god, Niki, I haven’t touched anyone else. I was drunk, yes, but I slept on the couch, there were other people there, you saw them. She must have picked my shirt up, you know I rarely stay dressed, I’m not even wearing shoes for Christ sake!”  
  
Niki can’t help but look down and a stunned bubble of laughter takes him by surprise, because true to his word the bastard is trekking barefoot through the fucking British countryside. James pulls him into a tight and possessive hug, brimming with an intensity only James can embody as he holds the back of Niki’s head and kisses him breathless.

He can’t doubt James’ sincerity when he breaks the kiss, now cupping Niki’s face, and stares at him so attentively. “Okay?” He asks.

The Austrian huffs softly, “Okay,” he nods. “But your car is still shit,” he mutters with a finger pointed at the Brit’s chest. James grins broadly and kisses Niki again.

“Yes it is,” He exclaims proudly, taking Niki by the hand as they continue down the road towards the town, Niki occasionally glancing down at James’ bare feet because sometimes he really can’t believe the man.

When they get to the village Niki goes in search of a phone to call a motor service while James wanders off to only God knows where. He finds one quickly, in a pub with a bartender quite happy to assist, and makes a call for assistance. He then tries to find his wayward companion and locates James standing on the corner, dishevelled, barefoot, and holding two ice-creams like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Niki approaches and accepts the ice-cream when it is offered, and then the two men head wordlessly back the way they’d come, towards the mini broken down at the side of the road. Niki says nothing when James takes his free hand as they walk.

 


End file.
